Question:

What does this Ayah really mean about prayers? I didn’t quite understand its meaning:

Surat Hood, Ayah 114:

وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ ۚ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّاكِرِينَ

“And keep up prayer in the two parts of the day and in the first hours of the night; surely good deeds take away evil deeds this is a reminder to the mindful”.

Answer:

There are different suggestions for the meaning of the Ayah. but on principle, the best method for understanding the Fiqhi (jurisprudential) Ayaat of the Quran is to rely on authentic Fiqhi narrations about them. To this end, there is an authentic Hadith that Zorarah narrated from Imam Baqir (a.s) that:

The two ends of the day is an expression for ‘morning and Maghrib prayers, and ‘early time of the night’ means Isha prayer. (Re. Al-Tahthib, vol.2 p.241).

So, Zohr and Asr prayers apparently are not mentioned in this Ayah, but its fine as different rules are revealed at different times and occasions. In other words, commanding us to pray on those hours, doesn’t mean there isn’t any other time for prayers.  To check all the five times of the daily prayers, we must read the Ayah you’ve mentioned in addition to Ayah 78 of Surat al-Israh’, and Ayah 238 of Surat al-Baqarah.

Answered by: Sheikh Mansour Leghaei